Exploring Black Resistance

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, and still I rise. I rise today as a part of this month wherein we will honor women.

This is Women's History Month, but I am going to do something that is a little unusual, and I apologize for the encroachment upon Women's History Month that I shall engage in today. It is an encroachment because I want to extend Black History Month by 1 day, and I do so because, actually, in reality, Black history should be an everyday event.

To the women of the world, my apologies--1 day of encroachment as I speak about Black history.

Of course, I rise as a proud descendant of the enslaved people who built America, made America the great country it is, the foundational mothers and fathers. Yes, there were others here who did work, but they did it for hundreds of years without remuneration, so I rise to honor them during this Black History Month.

I rise because it is necessary and proper that we put Black history in its proper perspective, that the story be truthfully told about the history of Africans in America, because it hasn't. The truth is, we say that Black history is American history, and I agree it is. The truth is, Black history is world history. It is bigger than the United States of America. It is global in scope.

Today, however, I shall focus on Black history as it relates to the United States of America. I do believe that it is important for us to give a little bit of history on Black History Month itself.

The precursor to Black History Month was Negro History Week. This was during the second week in February. It was started in 1926 by the honorable historian Carter G. Woodson in concert with the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, the ASALH.

Madam Speaker, this organization has endorsed this year's Black history resolution that we have. This organization is one that I am proud to associate with for guidance and instruction.

I would add that Negro History Week was founded on this week, the week that I called to your attention that relates to Black history, and coincided with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.

Black History Month was first proposed by Black educators and Black United Students at Kent State University in February 1969. The first celebration took place at Kent State a year later, in 1970.

This year's theme for Black history is ``Black Resistance.'' The theme explores how African Americans have resisted historic and ongoing oppression.

My original Black history resolution has passed this House four times: first, May 12, 2007, where it was agreed upon by a voice vote; again, May 6, 2008, where it received 367 yeas, no nays, 62 persons not voting; and a third time on February 24, 2009, where we had 420 yeas, no nays, and 12 not voting. The final time that it actually passed the House was on February 23, 2010, with 402 yeas, no nays, and 30 not voting.

Since then, we have not been recording votes for resolutions, generally speaking, which is why we don't get a vote on Black History Month resolutions now. I am proud to tell you that for this resolution this year, we have 104 cosponsors. And I am proud to tell you that this resolution has been approved by the organization that has been sponsoring this month for many years now associated with Carter G. Woodson.

Please allow me to read some excerpts from this year's resolution:

``Whereas this resolution may be cited as the Original Black History Month Resolution of 2023;

``Whereas this resolution has been endorsed by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History;

``Whereas the theme for Black History Month 2023 is `Black resistance,' which chronicles how African Americans have resisted oppression in all its invidious forms including: enslavement, lynching, mob violence, police brutality, Black codes, convict leasing, Jim Crow laws, lawful segregation, and invidious discrimination;

``Whereas slavery was a brutal and inhumane system that treated human beings as property and stripped them of their inalienable human rights of liberty, life, and the pursuit of happiness;

``Whereas the history of Black resistance in the United States predates the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, as it historically spans centuries from colonial slavery through contemporary invidious discrimination;

``Whereas this resolution illuminates some of the momentous recondite history of Black resistance that predates the resistance movements of the 20th and 21st centuries;''

Whereas Black resistance to slavery was a constant presence and it was persistent throughout the history of enslavement in the United States, and it took many forms, including the acts of rebellion, escape, some persons committed suicide, sabotage, litigation, work slowdowns, persons with feigned illness, misplacing or damaging tools, people would literally do anything that they could in the form of noncompliance to resist their being enslaved;

``Whereas there is historical evidence of as many as 250 instances of slave revolts involving 10 or more slaves during the history of American slavery;

``Whereas the Nat Turner and Gabriel Prosser, rebellions were two of the most significant acts of armed resistance to slavery in the United States, inspiring other enslaved people to resist and making clear the determination of enslaved people to fight for their freedom'' was something that would be persisted with;

``Whereas Gabriel Prosser's rebellion against Virginia and the United States in 1800 was a landmark event in the history of Black resistance to slavery in the United States and, although he and his followers were hanged, his bravery and leadership continue to inspire generations of activists and advocates;

``Whereas the Stono Rebellion, the New York City Conspiracy, and the German Coast Uprising are other instances of significant slave uprisings in the United States and its predecessor colonies;

``Whereas in the fight for freedom, liberty, justice, and equality the righteous resistance of many Black freedom fighters has been depreciated, downplayed, deprecated, disparaged, denigrated, disrespected, and demonized;

Whereas one such instance of depreciation in an effort to minimize the history of such a person is that of Claudette Colvin, who refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus months before the incident wherein Rosa Parks refused to do the same thing, but one person was depreciated and disrespected, the other has been noted in history as a historic and heroic person;

``Whereas Bayard Rustin, a lifelong civil rights advocate and lead organizer of the March on Washington, was nearly written out of history merely because of his sexual orientation;

``Whereas religion was a form of resistance to slavery as it allowed the enslaved to assert their humanity, dignity, and independence;

``Whereas spiritual songs were often used as a form of resistance by building community and maintaining good spirits, as a means of healing, and even to communicate secret messages;

``Whereas the song `Steal Away' was used by Nat Turner to call people to him to discuss plans for his rebellion, and the same song was also sung by slaves who planned on escaping'' at some time that was in their immediate future;

``Whereas a song, `Get on the Gospel Train', provided courage for slaves to escape, citing room for many people, a train available to everyone, and a promise that also alluded to the fact that both Blacks and Whites provided assistance to fugitive slaves as they traveled the Underground Railroad;

``Whereas the song `Sweet Chariot' was said to be a personal favorite of Harriet Tubman's as it indicated to slaves that they would be escaping soon;

``Whereas the song `Follow the Drinking Gourd' was used to remind slaves of the clues they would need to find their way north;

``Whereas those slaves who resisted their enslavement by running away were not only recaptured, punished, and returned to their torment, but also exposed in newspaper ads, which assured enslavers that all was well;

``Whereas the following is a selection of ads on captured suspected fugitive slaves run in the Montgomery Advertiser from 1849 to 1865;''

One such ad: ``Whereas John, 23, ran away from Levi Williams, and had a $25 reward offered for John's return.''

Remember, these are newspaper ads indicating that all is well because the slaves are being captured.

``Whereas George, 20, was captured in Mobile County after he had escaped from owner, James Edward Wilson in Memphis, Tennessee;

``Whereas Hannah, arrested in Pickens County, was a 75-year-old woman who was said to belong to John Smith of Lowndes County, Mississippi;

``Whereas Frank, whose age was described only as a boy, was an at- large runaway with a $15 reward for his capture;

``Whereas Lucinda, 20, was jailed in Mobile County, Alabama, belonged to Mrs. Elizabeth Hinsley of Sumter County, Alabama, and had multiple scars on her right arm.''

Remember, these are ads indicating that all is well because Blacks who attempt to escape are being captured.

``Whereas Black resistance to slavery was confronted with harsh court decisions that stripped Blacks of their human rights;

``Whereas in the 1857 Dred Scott v. Sandford decision, the Supreme Court ruled that having lived in a free State and territory did not entitle an enslaved person, Dred Scott, to his freedom;

``Whereas the Court further ruled in Dred Scott v. Sandford that people of African descent `are not included, and were not intended to be included, under the word ``citizens'' in the Constitution, and can therefore claim none of the rights and privileges which that instrument provides for and secures to citizens of the United States';

``Whereas in Dred Scott v. Sandford, Chief Justice Roger Taney declared, in the Supreme Court's infamous majority opinion, that Dred Scott, a Black slave, `had no rights a white man was bound to respect';

``Whereas the Supreme Court in the 1896 case Plessy v. Ferguson embraced legal segregation, which advanced constitutional justification for laws that allowed for separate and supposedly equal public facilities for White and Black Americans;

``Whereas the Underground Railroad, led by figures such as Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass, played a vital role in resistance by helping enslaved people escape to freedom;

``Whereas, during the Civil War, Black soldiers made up approximately 10 percent of the Union Army, with approximately 180,000 Black soldiers enlisting to fight for their freedom and the abolition of slavery;

``Whereas despite facing discrimination and being paid less than White soldiers, Black soldiers played a crucial role in the Union's victory in the Civil War by risking and in too many instances sacrificing their lives in the fight for the freedom of their fellow'' men and women;

``Whereas the Black soldiers' participation in the Civil War was not only significant in terms of numbers, but also in terms of the impact their participation had on the fight for racial equality and civil rights, as it challenged the notion that Black Americans were not capable of fighting for their own freedom;

``Whereas the Civil War, as well as the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, emanated from Black resistance to slavery in the United States;

``Whereas the abolition of slavery did not end White supremacy;

``Whereas the period between the end of the Civil War and the civil rights movement was marked by continued discrimination and oppression of African Americans, despite the abolition of slavery;

``Whereas the history of Black resistance in the United States has demonstrated that the fight for racial justice and equality is ongoing and multifaceted and that despite the massive strides that have been made in the name of justice, there are still many areas where progress is needed;

``Whereas Black activists in the United States have inspired many other marginalized communities around the world to fight for their rights and equality;

``Whereas the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass inspired the creation of Negro History Week, the precursor to Black History Month; and

``Whereas the month of February is officially celebrated as Black History Month, which dates to 1926 when Dr. Carter G. Woodson set aside the second week in February as Negro History Week to recognize the heritage and achievement of Black Americans:

``Now, therefore, be it Resolved, this resolution may be cited as the `Original Black History Month Resolution of 2023'.

``Recognizing and Celebrating the Significance of Black History Month.

``The House of Representatives recognizes the importance of commemorating Black History Month as it acknowledges the achievements of Black Americans throughout the Nation's history and encourages the continuation of its celebration to raise the awareness of this community's accomplishments for all Americans.''

Dear friends, this month that we just had the opportunity to recognize as Black History Month, February, is a month that we ought to do more than simply talk about the history of Black people in the Americas. This history is something that honestly has been overlooked and has been underrepresented. It truly has been disrespected, and we have to talk about it. It is important.

But we have got to do more than talk about it. We, in this Congress, must do that which we can do to demonstrate that we have respect for Black history. It is one thing to talk about the wonderful things that have been done, but it is an entirely different thing to show that we respect Black history.

Yes, having the resolution presented on the floor of the Congress is one where we are demonstrating respect. That is not enough.

Black history has to be respected in the sense that the people who were a part of that history are respected. To this day, we have not shown respect for the Black people who are the foundational mothers and fathers of this country.

We have not shown respect for the hands, the humble hands, that helped construct the Capitol Building that I stand in, that helped construct the White House; the humble hands that planted the seeds, harvested the crops, and fed the Nation; the humble hands that built the roads and bridges and that laid the foundation for America's bright future that it celebrates and has to this day.

The Black people who made America the great country it is have not been properly appreciated and respected. Yes, we should have Black History Month. Yes, we will continue to show these resolutions and to appreciate what happened, but we have to respect the people.

In this country, we have shown more respect for the enslavers than the enslaved. In this country, we have shown respect for the Confederate enslavers and disrespected the enslaved.

You disrespect the enslaved when you show respect for those who enslaved them. That act in and of itself is disrespect. Every statue in every city of Confederate soldiers is a way of disrespecting the people who were enslaved. It is time to honor and respect those who were enslaved in this country.

To do that, to honor them and respect them, the least we can do is what we have done for the Confederate soldiers. In this country, in 1956, we passed a resolution in the House of Representatives to give the Confederate soldiers a Congressional Gold Medal. No such honor has been bestowed upon the foundational mothers and fathers and the enslaved people who laid the foundation for America's greatness--no such honor.

If we can accord the highest medal that the Congress can award to Confederate soldiers, surely we can appreciate and respect the enslaved persons who helped make America the great country it is today.

We ought to, this Congress ought to, Democrats and Republicans ought to vote to accord a Congressional Gold Medal to the enslaved people who helped make America great, the people who suffered one of the greatest crimes ever committed against humanity, enslaved for centuries in this country. We ought to show them some respect. We ought to accord them a Congressional Gold Medal. We must do for them what we did for the Confederate soldiers.

We should not revere the enslavers and revile the enslaved. It is time to respect the foundational mothers and fathers of this country. I intend to ask all of my colleagues by way of a piece of legislation that we filed on the last day of Black History Month with intentionality. We wanted to give the entire month for persons to become original cosponsors of this resolution.

It is a resolution that would call for a Congressional Gold Medal being presented to the foundational mothers and fathers of the country. I said resolution; it is actually a piece of legislation. It would have to pass the House and pass the Senate. I believe it can be done.

I know to some people this is unacceptable. I understand there are many people who won't find favor with what I am saying. I challenge anybody to defy the truth in what I say. Defy the truth. The truth is that we have disrespected the enslaved. The truth is we have lionized the enslavers. That has to change.

Posterity has to receive a positive message about the people who built this country. This is that positive message. This message is one that will say to posterity that we want you to know that we have respect for the enslaved people who suffered their entire lives, many of them, from birth to death--babies born into slavery, grew up in slavery, lived and died in slavery--respect for their lives, suffering, and sacrifice. They should be respected.

The truth is, we have not. I want my friends to know that this piece of legislation would allow us to present this Congressional Gold Medal. The President would sign the legislation. I believe this President will sign it. There are some who wouldn't; President Joe Biden is not one of them. I would stake my life on it. If this passes the House and the Senate, I would put my life on the notion that he will sign it. I believe he will.

My prayer is that the House and the Senate will have the courage to do not just the right thing and pass this but to do the righteous thing, to show now, some hundreds of years later, the respect that we should have shown hundreds of years before to the enslaved people who worked, lived, and died without remuneration--the enslaved people also, I might add, who were demeaned. One of the greatest insults ever was that many people called them lazy. Many of the people who were doing this, mind you, were owners of slaves.

Now, you are a slave owner. You are working people for nothing at no cost to you, other than you have to maintain your property as you see it. You would call them lazy because they don't work hard enough.

Lazy? Free labor. Lazy? Built the Capitol, White House, roads, bridges; planted the crops; harvested the crops. Lazy? At no cost. What an insult. What an insult.

Here is the opportunity for us to show the respect that, through the window of the centuries, we should pass back to them and let them know that we appreciate them.

If we do this, America the beautiful will be a more beautiful America. If we do this, history will reward us with a better image of ourselves, in the sense that we will be shown as people who will recognize a transgression and do all that we can to correct it, even hundreds of years later.

The least we can do is show respect for the enslaved people who built America and helped to make it the great country that it is.

I am proud to be a descendant of the enslaved people who built this country, who helped to make it the place that I love and the place that I defend. I do love my country.

I will close with this. I want no one to assume that because I want justice and because I want righteousness to prevail that I don't love the country. I wear the flag. I salute the flag. I sing the national anthem--I stand for it.

I am that guy who loves his country, but my saluting the flag and singing the national anthem is almost inconsequential because, you see, the question is: Will I defend the person who does not salute the flag, who does not sing the national anthem, who won't stand for it and takes a knee? Will I defend that person?

The greatness of America lies in our ability to defend those who don't salute the flag. That is the greatness. The greatness is not in Al Green placing his hand over his heart and saying the pledge. I do it, but that is not the greatness.

The greatness is in recognizing that, in this country, you have the freedom to salute or not. I love the country. I am going to fight to defend the country.

Just as I loved my family, my mother and father loved me, and when I was wrong, there were consequences. We have to correct the wrong. We have to right the injustice.

I stand here today to say, as a proud American, I want to right the wrong, correct the injustice, and accord a Congressional Gold Medal to the enslaved foundational mothers and fathers of this country.

Removing the Name of Richard Russell from the Senate Office Building

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. GREEN of Texas. Allow me to speak on another topic today. This is a topic that I have spoken on previously on this floor, and it is one, I believe, that merits consideration every opportunity I can present it to people of good will.

This topic has to do with the Russell Senate Office Building, a building that I choose not to go into because I think the name should be removed from the building. I won't go into the history of it now, but I will say this: There will be a vote at some point in the Senate to remove Richard Russell's name from the Russell Senate Office Building.

There will be a vote. At some point, I will come back to this floor and will correctly state that the name of ``Richard Russell'' has been removed from the Russell Senate Office Building.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source